8:58 AM, June 27, 2014

Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) is helped off the court by strength coach Arnie Kander, left, and athletic trainer Mike Abdenour, right, after being hit in the head March 15, 2014, in Detroit. / Associated Press

By Dan Feldman

Detroit Free Press Special Writer

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Dan Feldman writes for the Detroit Pistons blog PistonPowered. His opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Detroit Free Press nor its writers. PistonPowered writers will contribute a column every Friday at freep.com/pistons. Contact Dan anytime at pistonpowered@gmail.com or on Twitter @pistonpowered.

The Pistons just drafted a player who turned pro so that he could receive the best possible treatment for his torn ACL, which should tell you why Stan Van Gundy’s next step is so important.

The Pistons’ new president/head coach has Pistons employees under review until Monday, when most NBA contracts expire. Now that he has completed a minor, though highly publicized, aspect of his job — drafting Spencer Dinwiddie in the second round — Van Gundy must correctly act on those employees.

With so much key personnel hanging in the balance, Van Gundy holds the responsibility of separating the wheat from the chaff — plus finding more wheat from outside the franchise.

The Pistons should employ the best people for those positions, and I’d like to believe that that’s Abdenour and Kander. But I might just be nostalgic about two people who have been with the franchise so long.

Getting those calls right could say a lot about whether Dinwiddie pans out. If he regains his mobility, he’s a steal at No. 38 — a first-round talent who fell too far. But if he’s permanently slower, it’s probably a wasted pick.

In the same vein, Van Gundy has yet to announce the fates of George David and Ken Catanella — two front-office assistants under Joe Dumars who ran the team’s draft process until Van Gundy arrived. Surely, that gave David and Catanella a little more sway than they'd usually have.

Again, I’d like to see both return, but my perception might be colored by comfort.

In all, I believe that Van Gundy inherited some impressive employees. A move away from Dumars was overdue, but that doesn’t necessitate throwing out the babies with the bathwater.

David and Catanella had a role in identifying Dinwiddie. And Abdenour and Kander could have a role in rehabilitating him.

Whatever you make of the selection — and I like it well enough — it happened due only to executives and might work due only to medical personnel who could be gone in three days.

Essentially, Van Gundy must assess how this process has worked and how it might work out before any results actually come in.

Sound difficult? It is, but completing the process successfully is essential in setting up the Pistons for years of smooth drafts — including in years when first-round picks will make decisions more important.

Beyond current employees, Van Gundy likely will bring in more outsiders, which requires figuring out how they’ll fit with the current employees.

Van Gundy has announced an ambitious flowchart containing multiple assistant general managers below Jeff Bower. There should be upcoming interviews, both among current staff members and potential newcomers.

The Pistons have Dinwiddie, which is nice. Now Van Gundy must form the franchise that best supports him — and all the players like him that will follow.